Soybean cultivar J540909

ABSTRACT

The invention is a novel soybean cultivar designated J540909 with high yield potential, mid Group 2 maturity, and a high level of tolerance to Brown Stem Rot. The invention relates to seeds of the cultivar J540909, plants of the cultivar J540909, and to methods for producing a soybean plant by crossing of the cultivar J540909 by itself or another soybean genotype.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is in the field of soybean breeding, specificallyrelating to a soybean cultivar designated J540909.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinctive soybean cultivar,designated J540909. There are numerous steps in the development of anynovel, desirable plant germplasm. Plant breeding begins with theanalysis and definition of problems and weaknesses of the currentgermplasm, the establishment of program goals, and the definition ofspecific breeding objectives. The next step is selection of germplasmthat possess the traits to meet the program goals. The goal is tocombine in a single variety an improved combination of desirable traitsfrom the parental germplasm. These important traits may include higherseed yield, resistance to diseases and insects, better stems and roots,tolerance to drought and heat, and better agronomic quality.

Choice of breeding or selection methods depends on the mode of plantreproduction, the heritability of the trait(s) being improved, and thetype of cultivar used commercially (e.g., F₁ hybrid cultivar, purelinecultivar, etc.). For highly heritable traits, a choice of superiorindividual plants evaluated at a single location will be effective,whereas for traits with low heritability, selection should be based onmean values obtained from replicated evaluations of families of relatedplants. Popular selection methods commonly include pedigree selection,modified pedigree selection, mass selection, and recurrent selection.

The complexity of inheritance influences choice of the breeding method.Backcross breeding is used to transfer one or a few favorable genes fora highly heritable trait into a desirable cultivar. This approach hasbeen used extensively for breeding disease-resistant cultivars. Variousrecurrent selection techniques are used to improve quantitativelyinherited traits controlled by numerous genes. The use of recurrentselection in self-pollinating crops depends on the ease of pollination,the frequency of successful hybrids from each pollination, and thenumber of hybrid offspring from each successful cross.

Each breeding program should include a periodic, objective evaluation ofthe efficiency of the breeding procedure. Evaluation criteria varydepending on the goal and objectives, but should include gain fromselection per year based on comparisons to an appropriate standard,overall value of the advanced breeding lines, and number of successfulcultivars produced per unit of input (e.g., per year, per dollarexpended, etc.).

Promising advanced breeding lines are thoroughly tested and compared toappropriate standards in environments representative of the commercialtarget area(s) for three or more years. The best lines are candidatesfor new commercial cultivars; those still deficient in a few traits maybe used as parents to produce new populations for further selection.

These processes, which lead to the final step of marketing anddistribution, usually take from eight to 12 years from the time thefirst cross is made. Therefore, development of new cultivars is atime-consuming process that requires precise forward planning, efficientuse of resources, and a minimum of changes in direction.

A most difficult task is the identification of individuals that aregenetically superior, because for most traits the true genotypic valueis masked by other confounding plant traits or environmental factors.One method of identifying a superior plant is to observe its performancerelative to other experimental plants and to a widely grown standardcultivar. If a single observation is inconclusive, replicatedobservations provide a better estimate of its genetic worth.

The goal of a plant breeding is to develop new, unique and superiorsoybean cultivars and hybrids. The breeder initially selects and crossestwo or more parental lines, followed by repeated selfing and selection,producing many new genetic combinations. The breeder can theoreticallygenerate billions of different genetic combinations via crossing,selfing and mutations. The breeder has no direct control at the cellularlevel. Therefore, two breeders will never develop the same line, or evenvery similar lines, having the same soybean traits.

Each year, the plant breeder selects the germplasm to advance to thenext generation. This germplasm is grown under unique and differentgeographical, climate and soil conditions, and further selection arethen made, during and at the end of the growing season. The cultivarswhich are developed are unpredictable. This unpredictability is becausethe breeder's selection occurs in unique environments and with millionsof different possible genetic combinations being generated. A breeder ofordinary skill in the art cannot predict the final resulting lines hedevelops, except possibly in a very gross and general fashion. The samebreeder cannot produce the same cultivar twice by using the exact sameoriginal parents and the same selection techniques. Thisunpredictability results in the expenditure of large amounts of researchmonies to develop superior new soybean cultivars.

The development of new soybean cultivars requires the development andselection of soybean varieties, the crossing of these varieties andselection of superior hybrid crosses. The hybrid seed is produced bymanual crosses between selected male-fertile parents or by using malesterility systems. These hybrids are selected for certain single genetrains such as pod color, flower color, pubescence color or herbicideresistance which indicate that the seed was truly a hybrid. Additionaldata on parental lines as well as the phenotype of the hybrid influencethe breeder's decision to continue with the specific hybrid cross.

Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection breeding methods arc used todevelop cultivars from breeding populations. Breeding programs combinedesirable traits from two or more cultivars or various broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which cultivars are developed byselfing and selection of desired phenotypes. The new cultivars areevaluated to determine which have commercial potential.

Pedigree breeding is used commonly for the improvement ofself-pollinating crops. Two parents which possess favorable,complementary traits are crossed to produce an F₁. An F₂ population isproduced by selfing one or several F1's. Selection of the bestindividuals may begin in the F₂ population; then, beginning in the F₃,the best individuals in the families are selected. Replicated testing offamilies can begin the F₄ generation to improve the effectiveness ofselection for traits with low heritability. At an advanced stage ofinbreeding (i.e., F₆ and F₇), the best lines or mixtures ofphenotypically similar lines are tested for potential release as newcultivars.

Mass and recurrent selections can be used to improve populations ofeither self- or cross-pollinating crops. A genetically variablepopulation of heterozygous individuals is either identified or createdby intercrossing several different parents. The best plants are selectedbased on individual superiority, outstanding progeny, or excellentcombining ability. The selected plants are intercrossed to produce a newpopulation in which further cycles of selection are continued.

Backcross breeding has been used to transfer genes for a simplyinherited, highly heritable trait into a desirable homozygous cultivaror inbred line which is the recurrent parent. The source of the trait tobe transferred is called the donor parent. The resulting plant isexpected to have the attributes of the recurrent parent (e.g., cultivar)and the desirable trait transferred from the donor parent. After theinitial cross, individuals possessing the phenotype of the donor parentare selected and repeatedly crossed (backcrossed) to the recurrentparent. The resulting plant is expected to have the attributes of therecurrent parent (e.g., cultivar) and the desirable trait transferredfrom the donor parent.

The single-seed descent procedure in the strict sense refers to plantinga segregating population, harvesting a sample of one seed per plant, andusing the one-seed sample to plant the next generation. When thepopulation has been advanced from the F₂ to the desired level ofinbreeding, the plants from which lines arc derived will each trace todifferent F₂ individuals. The number of plants in a population declineseach generation due to failure of some seeds to germinate or some plantsto produce at least one seed. As a result, not all of the F₂ plantsoriginally sampled in the population will be represented by a progenywhen generation advance is completed.

In a multiple-seed procedure, soybean breeders commonly harvest one ormore pods from each plant in a population and thresh them together toform a bulk. Part of the bulk is used to plant the next generation andpart is put in reserve. The procedure has been referred to as modifiedsingle-seed descent or the pod-bulk technique. The multiple-seedprocedure has been used to save labor at harvest. It is considerablyfaster to thresh pods with a machine than to remove one seed from eachby hand for the single-seed procedure. The multiple-seed procedure alsomakes it possible to plant the same number of seeds of a population eachgeneration of inbreeding. Enough seeds are harvested to make up forthose plants that did not germinate or produce seed.

Descriptions of other breeding methods that are commonly used fordifferent traits and crops can be found in several reference books(e.g., Allard, 1960; Simmonds, 1979; Sneep et al., 1979; Fehr, 1987, allincorporated herein by reference).

Proper testing should detect any major faults and establish the level ofsuperiority or improvement over current cultivars. In addition toshowing superior performance, there must be a demand for a new cultivarthat is compatible with industry standards or which creates a newmarket. The introduction of a new cultivar will incur additional coststo the seed producer, the grower, the processor and the consumer, forspecial advertising and marketing, altered seed and commercialproduction practices, and new product utilization. The testingproceeding release of a new cultivar should take into considerationresearch and development costs as well as technical superiority of thefinal cultivar. For seed-propagated cultivars, it must be feasible toproduce seed easily and economically.

Soybean, Glycine max (L), is an important and valuable field crop. Thus,a continuing goal of plant breeders is to develop stable, high yieldingsoybean cultivars that are agronomically sound. The reasons for thisgoal are obviously to maximize the amount of grain produced on the landused and to supply food for both animals and humans. To accomplish thisgoal, the soybean breeder must select and develop soybean plants thathave the traits that result in superior cultivars.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a novel soybean cultivar designated J540909 with highyield potential, mid Group 2 maturity, and a high level of tolerance toBrown Stem Rot. The invention relates to seeds of the cultivar J540909,plants of the cultivar J540909, and to methods for producing a soybeanplant by crossing of the cultivar J540909 by itself or another soybeangenotype.

The invention is also directed to soybean cultivar J540909 furthercomprising one or more specific, single gene traits, for exampletransgenes, and which has essentially all of the morphological andphysiological characteristics of cultivar J540909, in addition to theone or more specific, single gene traits. The invention further relatesto seeds of cultivar J540909 further comprising one or more specific,single gene traits, plants of cultivar J540909 further comprising one ormore specific, single gene traits, and to methods for producing asoybean plant by crossing of a soybean plant of cultivar J540909 furthercomprising one or more specific, single gene traits by itself or anothersoybean genotype.

DEFINITIONS

In the description and tables which follow, a number of terms are used.In order to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, including the scope to be given such terms,the following definitions are provided:

Maturity Date. Plants are considered mature when 95% of the pods havereached their mature color.

Seed Yield (Bushels/Acre). The yield in bushels/acre is the actual yieldof the grain at harvest.

Lodging Resistance. Lodging is rated on a scale of 1 to 9. Where one iscompletely upright and 9 is completely prostrate.

Emergence. This score indicates the ability of the seed to emerge whenplanted 3″ deep in sand and with a controlled temperature of 25° C. Thenumber of plants that emerge each day are counted. Based on this data,each genotype is given a 1 to 9 score based on its rate of emergence andpercent of emergence, an intermediate score of 5 indicates averageratings.

Iron-Deficiency Chlorosis. Plants are scored 1 to 9 based on visualobservations. A score of 1 means no stunting of the plants or yellowingof the leaves and a score of 9 indicates the plants are dead or severelystunted due to iron-deficiency chlorosis.

Brown Stem Rot (Phialophora gregata (Allington and Chamberlain) W.Gams).Plants are scored from 1 to 9 by visually comparing all genotypes in agiven test. The score is based on leaf symptoms of yellowing andnecrosis caused by brown stem rot. A score of 1 indicates no symptoms.Visual scores range to a score of 9 which indicates severe symptoms ofleaf yellowing and necrosis.

Sudden Death Syndrome (Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc. f. sp. glycine).Plants are scored from 1 to 9 by visually comparing all genotypes in agiven test. The score is based on leaf symptoms of yellowing andnecrosis caused by sudden death syndrome. A score of 1 indicates nosymptoms. Visual scores range to a score of 9 which indicates severesymptoms of leaf yellowing and necrosis.

Phytophthora Root Rot (Phytophthora megasperma (Drechs.) var. sojaeHildebrand).

Shattering. The amount of pod dehiscence prior to harvest. Poddehiscence involves seeds falling from the pods to the soil. This is avisual score from 1 to 9 comparing all genotypes within a given test. Ascore of 1 means pods have not opened and no seeds have fallen out. Ascore of9 indicates 100% of the pods are opened.

Plant Height. Plant height is taken from the top of soil to top of nodeof the plant and is measured in centimeters.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

J540909 was selected from an F6 plant from the cross, 13404×9273. 13404is a line developed by Midwest Oilseeds. 9273 is a commercial cultivarmarketed by Pioneer Hi-Bred International. The cross was made at theNovartis Seeds, Inc. Research Center at Washington, Iowa, in July, 1993.The F1 and F2 generations were grown at the Novartis Seeds, Inc.Research Farm at Kekaha, Kauai, Hi., in the winter of 1993-94. The F3generation was grown at Washington in the summer of 1994, the F4 and F5at Kekaha in the winter of 1994-95, and the F6 at the Novartis Seeds,Inc. Research Center at St. Joseph, Ill., in the summer of 1995. Singleplants were harvested and threshed individually. Each was tested in apreliminary yield trial at St. Joseph in 1996. One of these, designatedJ540909, was selected for advancement to a second year retest in 1997and was tested in advanced trials in the northern U.S. and Ontario in1998. It was tested in the greenhouse at the Novartis Seeds, Inc.Research Center at Bay, Ariz., for resistance to Phytophthora sojae in1997 an d 1998 and found to be susceptible. A soybean cultivar needs tobe highly homogeneous, homozygous and reproducible to be useful as acommercial cultivar. There are many analytical methods available todetermine the homozygotic and phenotypic stability of these varieties.

The oldest and most traditional method of analysis is the observation ofphenotypic traits. The data is usually collected in field experimentsover the life of the soybean plants to be examined. Phenotypiccharacteristics most often observed are for traits associated with seedyield, lodging resistance, disease resistance, emergence, maturity,plant height, shattering, flower color, pubescence color, pod color andhilum color.

In addition to phenotypic observations, the genotype of a plant can alsobe examined. There are many laboratory-based techniques available forthe analysis, comparison and characterization of plant genotype; amongthese are Isozyme Electrophoresis, Restriction Fragment LengthPolymorphisms (RFLPs), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs),Arbitrarily Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs), and Simple SequenceRepeats (SSRs) which are also referred to as Microsatellites.

The cultivar of the invention has shown uniformity and stability for alltraits, as described in the following variety description information.It has been self-pollinated a sufficient number of generations, withcareful attention to uniformity of plant type to ensure homozygosity andphenotypic stability. The line has been increased with continuedobservation for uniformity. No variant traits have been observed or areexpected in J540909. Soybean cultivar J540909, being substantiallyhomozygous, can be reproduced by planting seeds of the line, growing theresulting soybean plants under self-pollinating or sib-pollinatingconditions, and harvesting the resulting seed, using techniques familiarto the agricultural arts.

Publications useful as references in interpreting the data presentedbelow include: Caldwell, B. E. ed. 1973. “Soybeans: Improvement,Production, and Uses” Amer. Soc. Agron. Monograph No. 16; Buttery, B.R., and R. I. Buzzell 1968. “Peroxidase Activity in Seed of SoybeanVarieties” Crop Sci. 8: 722-725; Hymowitz, T. 1973. “Electrophoreticanalysis of SBTI-A2 in the USDA Soybean Germplasm Collection” Crop Sci.,13: 420-421; Payne R. C., and L. F. Morris, 1976. “Differentiation ofSoybean Varieties by Seedling Pigmentation Patterns” J. Seed. Technol.1: 1-19. The disclosures of which are each incorporated by reference intheir entirety.

Soybean cultivar J540909 has the following morphologic and othercharacteristics:

Descriptive Traits Performance Traits Flower Color: White PhytophthoraGenes Susceptible Pubescence Color: Light Tawny Brown Stem Rot TolerantPod Color: Brown Iron Chlorosis Mod. Susc. Hilum Color: BlackSclerotinia Mod. Tolerant Leaf Shape: Ovate Hypocotyl Length Long StemTermination: Indeterminate Seed Coat Color: Yellow Hypocotyl Color:Green with bronze band Maturity Group 2 Relative Maturity 2-5 Seed CoatHigh Peroxidase

The invention also encompasses plants of cultivar J540909 and partsthereof further comprising one or more specific, single gene transferredtraits. Such traits are introgressed into cultivar J540909 from anothersoybean cultivar or are directly transformed into cultivar J540909.Preferably, one or more new traits are transferred to cultivar J540909,or, alternatively, one or more traits of cultivar J540909 are altered orsubstituted. The introgression of the trait(s) into cultivar J540909 isfor example achieved by recurrent selection breeding, for example bybackcrossing. In this case, cultivar J540909 (the recurrent parent) isfirst crossed to a donor inbred (the non-recurrent parent) that carriesthe appropriate gene(s) for the trait(s) in question. The progeny ofthis cross is then mated back to the recurrent parent followed byselection in the resultant progeny for the desired trait(s) to betransferred from the non-recurrent parent. After three, preferably four,more preferably five or more generations of backcrosses with therecurrent parent with selection for the desired trait(s), the progenywill be heterozygous for loci controlling the trait(s) beingtransferred, but will be like the recurrent parent for most or almostall other genes (see, for example, Poehlman & Sleper (1995) BreedingField Crops, 4th Ed., 172-175; Fehr (1987) Principles of CultivarDevelopment, Vol. 1: Theory and Technique, 360-376, incorporated hereinby reference).

The laboratory-based techniques described above, in particular RFLP andSSR, can be used in such backcrosses to identify the progenies havingthe highest degree of genetic identity with the recurrent parent. Thispermits one to accelerate the production of soybean cultivars having atleast 90%, preferably at least 95%, more preferably at least 99% geneticidentity with the recurrent parent, yet more preferably geneticallyidentical to the recurrent parent, and further comprising the trait(s)introgressed from the donor patent. Such determination of geneticidentity can be based on molecular markers used in the laboratory-basedtechniques described above.

The last backcross generation is then selfed to give pure breedingprogeny for the gene(s) being transferred. The resulting plants haveessentially all of the morphological and physiological characteristicsof cultivar J540909, in addition to the single gene trait(s) transferredto the inbred. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the traitbeing altered to determine an appropriate testing protocol. Althoughbackcrossing methods are simplified when the trait being transferred isa dominant allele, a recessive allele may also be transferred. In thisinstance it may be necessary to introduce a test of the progeny todetermine if the desired trait has been successfully transferred.

The cultivar of the invention can also be used for transformation whereexogenous genes are introduced and expressed by the cultivar of theinvention. Genetic variants created either through traditional breedingmethods using cultivar J540909 or through transformation of cultivarJ540909 by any of a number of protocols known to those of skill in theart arc intended to be within the scope of this invention (see e.g.Trick et al. (1997) Recent advances in soybean transformation, in PlantTissue Culture and Biotechnology, 3:9-26, incorporated herein byreference).

Production of a genetically modified plant tissue by transformationcombines teachings of the present disclosure with a variety oftechniques and expedients known in the art. In most instances alternateexpedients exist for each stage of the overall process. The choice ofexpedients depends on the variables such as the plasmid vector systemchosen for the cloning and introduction of the desired recombinant DNAmolecule, as well as the particular structural gene, promoter elementsand upstream elements used. Persons skilled in the art are able toselect and use appropriate alternatives to achieve functionality.Culture conditions for expressing desired structural genes and culturedcells are known in the art. Also as known in the art, soybeans aretransformable and regenerable such that whole plants containing andexpressing desired genes under regulatory control may be obtained.General descriptions of plant expression vectors and reporter genes andtransformation protocols can be found in Gruber, et al., “Vectors forPlant Transformation, in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology &Biotechnology” in Glich et al., (Eds. pp. 89-119, CRC Press, 1993).Moreover GUS expression vectors and GUS gene cassettes are availablefrom Clone Tech Laboratories, Inc., Palo Alto, Calif. while luciferaseexpression vectors and luciferase gene cassettes are available from ProMega Corp. (Madison, Wis.). General methods of culturing plant tissuesare provided for example by Maki et al. “Procedures for IntroducingForeign DNA into Plants” in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology &Biotechnology, Glich et al. (Eds. pp. 67-88 CRC Press, 1993); and byPhillips et al. “Cell-Tissue Culture and In-Vitro Manipulation” in Corn& Corn Improvement, 3rd Edition Sprague et al. (Eds. pp. 345-387)American Society of Agronomy Inc. et al. 1988.

Methods of introducing desired recombinant DNA molecule into planttissue include the direct infection or co-cultivation of plant cellswith Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Horsch et al., Science, 227:1229 (1985).Descriptions of Agrobacterium vector systems and methods forAgrobacterium-mediated gene transfer provided by Gruber, et al. supra.Other useful methods include but are not limited to expression vectorsintroduced into plant tissues using a direct gene transfer method suchas microprojectile-mediated delivery, DNA injection, electroporation andthe like. More preferably expression vectors are introduced into planttissues using the biolistic microprojectile delivery orAgrobacterium-medicated transformation. Transformed plants obtained viaprotoplast transformation are also intended to be within the scope ofthis invention.

Many traits have been identified that are not regularly selected for inthe development of a new cultivar but that can be improved e.g. bybackcrossing techniques or by genetic transformation. Examples of traitstransferred to cultivar J540909 include, but are not limited to,herbicide tolerance, resistance for bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,nematode resistance, insect resistance, enhanced nutritional quality,such as oil, starch and protein content or quality, improved performancein an industrial process, altered reproductive capability, such as malesterility or male fertility, yield stability and yield enhancement.Other traits transferred to cultivar J540909 are for the production ofcommercially valuable enzymes or metabolites in plants of cultivarJ540909.

Traits transferred to soybean cultivar J540909 are naturally occurringsoybean traits or are transgenic. Transgenes are directly introducedinto cultivar J540909 using genetic engineering and transformationtechniques well known in the art or described above, or are originallyintroduced into a donor, non-recurrent parent using genetic engineeringand transformation techniques and are then introgressed into cultivarJ540909, for example by backcrossing. A transgene typically comprises anucleotide sequence whose expression is responsible or contributes tothe trait, under the control of a promoter capable of directing theexpression of the nucleotide sequence at the desired time in the desiredtissue or part of the plant. Constitutive, tissue-specific or induciblepromoters preferably are used. The transgene may also comprise otherregulatory elements such as for example translation enhancers ortermination signals. In a preferred embodiment, the nuclcotide sequenceis the coding sequence of a gene and is transcribed and translated intoa protein. In another preferred embodiment, the nucleotide sequenceencodes an antisense RNA or a sense RNA that is not translated or onlypartially translated.

Where more than one trait are introgressed into cultivar J540909, it ispreferred that the specific genes are all located at the same genomiclocus in the donor, non-recurrent parent, preferably, in the case oftransgenes, as part of a single DNA construct integrated into thedonor's genome. Alternatively, if the genes are located at differentgenomic loci in the donor, non-recurrent parent, backcrossing allows torecover all of the morphological and physiological characteristics ofcultivar J540909 in addition to the multiple genes in the resultingsoybean cultivar.

The genes responsible for a specific, single gene trait arc generallyinherited through the nucleus. Known exceptions are, e.g. the genes formale sterility, some of which are inherited cytoplasmically, but stillact as single gene traits. In a preferred embodiment, a transgene to beintrogressed into cultivar J540909 is integrated into the nuclear genomeof the donor, non-recurrent parent or the transgene is directlytransformed into the nuclear genome of cultivar J540909. In anotherpreferred embodiment, a transgene to be introgressed into cultivarJ540909 is integrated into the plastid genome of the donor,non-recurrent parent or the transgene is directly transformed into theplastid genome of cultivar J540909. In a preferred embodiment, a plastidtransgene comprises one gene transcribed from a single promoter or twoor more genes transcribed from a single promoter.

A trait transferred to cultivar J540909 is for example resistance tobrown stem rot (U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,035) or resistance to cyst nematodes(U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,081), both incorporated herein by reference. In apreferred embodiment, a transgene whose expression results orcontributes to a desired trait to be transferred to cultivar J540909comprises a gene encoding an insecticidal protein, such as, for example,a crystal protein of Bacillus thuringiensis or a vegetative insecticidalprotein from Bacillus cereus, such as VIP3 (see for example Estruch etal. Nat Biotechnol (1997) 15:137-41, incorporated herein by reference).In another preferred embodiment, a transgene introgressed into cultivarJ540909 comprises a herbicide tolerance gene whose expression rendersplants of cultivar J540909 tolerant to the herbicide. For example,expression of an altered acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) enzyme confersupon plants tolerance to various imidazolinone or sulfonamide herbicides(U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,373, incorporated herein by reference). In anotherpreferred embodiment, a non-transgenic trait conferring tolerance toimidazolinones or sulfonylurea herbicides is introgressed into cultivarJ540909. Expression of a mutant acetolactate synthase (ALS) that renderthe plants resistant to inhibition by sulfonylurea herbicides (U.S. Pat.No. 5,013,659), incorporated herein by reference. In another preferredembodiment, U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,374, incorporated herein by reference,relates to plant cells and plants containing a gene encoding a mutantglutamine synthetase (GS) resistant to inhibition by herbicides that areknown to inhibit GS, e.g. phosphinothricin and methionine sulfoximine.Also, expression of a Streptomyces bar gene encoding a phosphinothricinacetyl transferase in maize plants results in tolerance to the herbicidephosphinothricin or glufosinate (U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,520, incorporatedherein by reference). U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,602, incorporated herein byreference, discloses plants tolerant to inhibition by cyclohexanedioneand aryloxyphenoxypropanoic acid herbicides. The tolerance is conferredby an altered acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase(ACCase). U.S. Pat. No.5,554,798, incorporated herein by reference, discloses transgenicglyphosate tolerant maize plants, which tolerance is conferred by analtered 5-enolpyruvyl-3-phosphoshikimate (EPSP) synthase gene. Inanother preferred embodiment, tolerance to a protoporphyrinogen oxidaseinhibitor is achieved by expression of a tolerant protoporphyrinogenoxidase enzyme in plants (U.S. Pat. No. 5,767,373, incorporated hereinby reference). In a preferred embodiment, a transgene introgressed intocultivar J540909 comprises a gene conferring tolerance to a herbicideand at least another nucleotide sequence for another trait, such as forexample, insect resistance or tolerance to another herbicide.

Specific transgenic events introgressed into cultivar J540909 are forexample found at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/bbep/bp/not_reg.html,incorporated herein by reference, and are for example introgressed fromevents G94-1, G94-19 or G-168 with altered oil profile (applicationnumber 9700801), from phosphinothricin tolerant events W62, W98,A2704-12, A2704-21 or A5547-35 (application number 9606801) or fromglyphosate tolerant event 40-3-2 (application number 9325801).

Direct selection may be applied where the trait acts as a dominanttrait. An example of a dominant trait is herbicide tolerance. For thisselection process, the progeny of the initial cross are sprayed with theherbicide prior to the backcrossing. The spraying eliminates any plantwhich do not have the desired herbicide tolerance characteristic, andonly those plants which have the herbicide tolerance gene are used inthe subsequent backcross. This process is then repeated for theadditional backcross generations.

This invention is also directed to methods for producing a soybean plantby crossing a first parent soybean plant with a second parent soybeanplant, wherein the first or second parent soybean plant is a soybeanplant from cultivar J540909 or a plant from cultivar J540909 furthercomprising one or more specific, single gene traits. Further, both firstand second parent soybean plants may be from the cultivar J540909 orfrom cultivar J540909 further comprising one or more specific, singlegene traits. Therefore, any methods using the cultivar J540909 are partof this invention; selfing, backcrosses, hybrid breeding, and crosses topopulations. Any plantsproduced using cultivar J540909 or cultivarJ540909 further comprising one or more specific, single gene traits as aparent are within the scope of this invention. For example, the soybeancultivar J540909 or cultivar J540909 further comprising one or morespecific, single gene traits are used in crosses with other, different,soybean plants to produce first generation (F1) soybean hybrid seeds andplants with superior characteristics. For example, a method to produce ahybrid soybean seed comprises the steps of planting, preferably inpollinating proximity, seeds of soybean cultivar J540909 or seeds ofsoybean cultivar J540909 further comprising one or more specific, singlegene traits and another soybean cultivar, cultivating the soybean plantsresulting from said seeds until said plants bear flowers, emasculatingthe plants of either one or the other soybean cultivar, inducing crosspollination to occur between said soybean cultivars and harvesting seedsproduced on said emasculated plants of the cultivar line.

As used herein, the term “plant” includes plant cells, plantprotoplasts, plant cells of tissue culture from which soybean plants canbe regenerated, plant calli, plant clumps, and plant cells that areintact in plants or parts of plants, such as pollen, flowers, seeds,pods, leaves, stems, and the like. Thus, another aspect of thisinvention is to provide for cells which upon growth and differentiationproduce the cultivar J540909.

Further reproduction of the cultivar can occur by tissue culture andregeneration. Tissue culture of various tissues of soybeans andregeneration of plants therefrom is well known and widely published. Forexample, reference may be had to Komatsuda, T. et al., “Genotype XSucrose Interactions for Somatic Embryogenesis in Soybean,” Crop Sci.31:333-337 (1991); Stephens, P. A. et al., “Agronomic Evaluation ofTissue-Culture-Derived Soybean Plants,” Theor. Appl. Genet. (1991)82:633-635; Komatsuda, T. et al., “Maturation and Germination of SomaticEmbryos as Affected by Sucrose and Plant Growth Regulators in SoybeansGlycine gracilis Skvortz and Glycine max (L.) Merr.,” Plant Cell, Tissueand Organ Culture, 28:103-113 (1992); Dhir, S. et al., “Regeneration ofFertile Plants from Protoplasts of Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.):Genotypic Differences in Culture Response,” Plant Ccll Reports (1992)11:285-289; Pandey, P. et al., “Plant Regeneration from Leaf andHypocotyl Explants of Glycine wightii (W. and A.) VERDC. varlongicauda,” Japan J. Breed. 42:1-5 (1992); and Shetty, K., et al.,“Stimulation of In Vitro Shoot Organogenesis in Glycine max (Merrill.)by Allantoin and Amides,” Plant Science 81:(1992) 245-251; as well asU.S. Pat. No. 5,024,944, issued Jun. 18, 1991 to Collins et al. and U.S.Pat. No. 5,008,200, issued Apr. 16, 1991 to Ranch et al., thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety byreference. Thus, another aspect of this invention is to provide cellswhich upon growth and differentiation produce soybean plants having thephysiological and morphological characteristics of cultivar J540909.

The seed of soybean cultivar J540909 or soybean cultivar J540909 furthercomprising one or more specific, single gene traits, the plant producedfrom the seed, the hybrid soybean plant produced from the crossing ofthe variety with any other soybean plant, hybrid seed, and various partsof the hybrid soybean plant can be utilized for human food, livestockfeed, and as a raw material in industry.

Soybean is the world's leading source of vegetable oil and protein meal.The oil extracted from soybeans is used for cooking oil, margarine, andsalad dressings. Soybean oil is composed of saturated, monounsaturatedand polyunsaturated fatty acids. It has a typical composition of 11%palmitic, 4% stearic, 25% oleic, 50% linoleic and 9% linolenic fattyacid content (“Economic Implications of Modified Soybean Traits SummaryReport”, Iowa Soybean Promotion Board & American Soybean AssociationSpecial Report 92S, May 1990. Changes in fatty acid composition forimproved oxidative stability and nutrition are constantly sought after.Industrial uses of soybean oil which is subjected to further processinginclude ingredients for paints, plastics, fibers, detergents, cosmetics,and lubricants. Soybean oil may be split, inter-esterified, sulfurized,epoxidized, polymerized, ethoxylated, or cleaved. Designing andproducing soybean oil derivatives with improved functionality,oliochemistry, is a rapidly growing field. The typical mixture oftriglycerides is usually split and separated into pure fatty acids,which are then combined with petroleum-derived alcohols or acids,nitrogen, sulfonates, chlorine, or with fatty alcohols derived from fatsand oils.

Soybean is also used as a food source for both animals and humans.Soybean is widely used as a source of protein for animal feeds forpoultry, swine and cattle. During processing of whole soybeans, thefibrous hull is removed and the oil is extracted. The remaining soybeanmeal is a combination of carbohydrates and approximately 50% protein.For human consumption soybean meal is made into soybean flour which isprocessed to protein concentrates used for meat extenders or specialtypet foods. Production of edible protein ingredients from soybean offersa healthy, less expensive replacement for animal protein in meats aswell as dairy-type products.

TABLES Yield, bushels per acre; Maturity, date, 95% mature pod color;Lodging, score, 1 = upright, 9 = prostrate; Height, cm., ground level toplant top; Iron Chlorosis, score, 1 = no chlorosis, 9 = severechlorosis; Brown Stem Rot, score, 1 = no foliar symptoms, 9 = severesymptoms; Shatter, score, 1 = no seed shatter, 9 = nearly completeshatter. Data are summarized in the following table. Iron BrownCultivar/ Ma- Chlo- Stem Shat- Trait Yield turity Lodging Height rosisRot ter J540909 63.3 9-18 2.8 75 4.8 2.0 3.0 Novartis 61.8 9-22 4.1 856.7 3.5 2.5 S28-T3 Asgrow 60.5 9-16 2.6 84 4.2 1.5 7.5 AG2301 Pioneer59.3 9-20 2.7 82 4.5 3.5 3.5 9254 Novartis 59.2 9-15 2.7 78 6.2 4.3 6.8S 24-92 Grand 58.5 9-18 3.1 81 5.9 4.3 4.5 Mean No. of Tests 20 12 10 53 2 2 LSD (0.05) 2.9  1 0.6 6 1.3 3.0 2.2

DEPOSIT INFORMATION

Applicants have made a deposit of at least 2500 seeds of the cultivar ofthe present invention with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC),Manassas, Va., 20110-2209 U.S.A., ATCC Accession No: 203820. The seedsdeposited with the ATCC on Mar. 4, 1999 were taken from the depositmaintained by Novartis Corporation, 3054 Cornwallis Road, ResearchTriangle Park, NC 27709, since prior to the filing date of thisapplication. This deposit of cultivar J540909 will be maintained in theATCC depository, which is a public depository, for a period of 30 years,or 5 years after the most recent request, or for the enforceable life ofthe patent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced if it becomesnonviable during that period. Additionally, Applicants have satisfiedall the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §§1.801-1.809, including providing anindication of the viability of the sample. Applicants impose norestrictions on the availability of the deposited material from theATCC; however, Applicants have no authority to waive any restrictionsimposed by law on the transfer of biological material or itstransportation in commerce. Applicants do not waive any infringement ofits rights granted under this patent or under the Plant VarietyProtection Act (7 USC 2321 et seq.).

The foregoing invention has been described in detail by way ofillustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding.However, it will be obvious that certain changes and modifications suchas single gene modifications and mutations, somaclonal variants, variantindividuals selected from large populations of the plants of the instantinbred and the like may be practiced within the scope of the invention,as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. Seed of soybean cultivar J540909 having beendeposited under ATCC Accession No:
 203820. 2. A soybean plant, or partsthereof, of cultivar J540909, seed of said cultivar having beendeposited under ATCC Accession No:
 203820. 3. Pollen of the plant ofclaim
 2. 4. An ovule of the plant of claim
 2. 5. A soybean plant, orparts thereof, having all the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of a plant according to claim
 2. 6. A male sterilesoybean plant, or parts thereof, otherwise having all the physiologicaland morphological characteristics of a plant according to claim
 2. 7. Asoybean plant, or parts thereof, according to claim 2, furthercomprising a single gene transferred trait.
 8. A soybean plant accordingto claim 7, wherein said single gene transferred trait comprises atransgene.
 9. A soybean plant according to claim 8, wherein saidtransgene comprises a gene conferring upon said soybean plant toleranceto a herbicide.
 10. A soybean plant according to claim 9, wherein saidherbicide is glyphosate, glufosinate, a sulfonylurea or an imidazolinoneherbicide, or a protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitor.
 11. A soybeanplant according to claim 8, wherein said transgene comprises a geneconferring up on said soybean plant insect resistance, diseaseresistance, nematode resistance or virus resistance.
 12. A soybean plantaccording to claim 11, wherein said gene conferring upon said soybeanplant insect resistance comprises a gene encoding a crystal protein ofBacillus thuringiensis or a vegetative insecticidal protein fromBacillus cereus.
 13. A tissue culture of regenerable cells of a soybeanplant according to claim 2, wherein the tissue regenerates plantscapable of expressing all the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of a plant according to claim
 2. 14. A soybean plantregenerated from the tissue culture of claim 13, capable of expressingall the morphological and physiological characteristics of cultivarJ540909, seed of said cultivar having been deposited under ATCCAccession No:
 203820. 15. A method for producing a soybean seedcomprising crossing a first parent soybean plant with a second parentsoybean plant and harvesting the resultant first generation soybeanseed, wherein said first or second parent soybean plant is a soybeanplant according to claim 2 or a soybean plant having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of a plant according toclaim
 2. 16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said first parentsoybean plant is different from said second parent soybean plant,wherein said resultant seed is a first generation (F1) hybrid soybeanseed.
 17. A method according to claim 15, wherein said soybean plant ofcultivar J540909, seed of said cultivar having been deposited under ATCCAccession No: 203820, or said soybean plant having all the physiologicaland morphological characteristics of a plant of cultivar J540909 is thefemale parent.
 18. A method according to claim 15, wherein said soybeanplant of cultivar J540909, seed of said cultivar having been depositedunder ATCC Accession No: 203820, or said soybean plant having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of a plant of cultivarJ540909 is the male parent.
 19. An F1 hybrid soybean seed produced bythe method of claim
 16. 20. An F1 hybrid soybean plant, or partsthereof, grown from the seed of claim
 19. 21. A method for producingsoybean seed comprising crossing a first parent soybean plant with asecond parent soybean plant and harvesting the resultant firstgeneration soybean seed, wherein said first or second parent soybeanplant is a soybean plant according to claim
 7. 22. A method according toclaim 21, wherein said first parent soybean plant is different from saidsecond parent soybean plant, wherein said resultant seed is a firstgeneration (F1) hybrid soybean seed.
 23. A method according to claim 22,wherein said soybean plant of claim 7 is the female parent.
 24. A methodaccording to claim 22, wherein said soybean plant of claim 7 is the maleparent.
 25. An F1 hybrid soybean seed produced by the method of claim22.
 26. An F1 hybrid soybean plant, or parts thereof, grown from theseed of claim
 25. 27. A method to produce a hybrid soybean seedcomprising the steps of: a) planting in pollinating proximity seeds ofsoybean cultivar J540909, seed of said cultivar having been depositedunder ATCC Accession No: 203820, or seeds of a soybean plant having allthe physiological and morphological characteristics of a plant ofcultivar J540909, or seeds of a soybean plant of cultivar J540909further comprising a single gene transferred trait, and seeds of anothersoybean cultivar; b) cultivating soybean plants resulting from saidseeds until said plants bear flowers; c) emasculating the male flowersof the plants of either one or the other soybean cultivar; d) inducingcross pollination to occur between said soybean cultivars; and e)harvesting seeds produced on said emasculated plants of the cultivar.28. A first generation (F₁) hybrid soybean plant produced by growingsaid hybrid soybean seed of claim
 27. 29. Seeds of a plant according toclaim 7.